Cardinal cross controversy

The pressure group Christian Concern has launched a campaign this Easter urging the Government to drop its case backing a ruling against a nurse, Shirley Chaplin, who was banned from wearing a cross at work. Hers is one of four cases currently being considered by the European Court of Human Rights.

Shami Chakrbarti, Director of the pressure group Liberty, has called for a "common sense" approach to the issue of whether or not employees should be banned from wearing crosses at work.

She said that as long as emplyees were able to perform their duties and not harm anyone, they should not be prevented from wearing symbols of their faith. She said there were very few situations where a cross could not be worn for health and safety reasons.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien is to call for Christians to wear the cross as a "simple and discreet" symbol of their faith. His comments come as a case is going to the European Court of Human Rights to decide whether employees should have the right to wear crosses.

Former nurse Shirley Chaplin, from Exeter, and Nadia Eweida, who worked for British Airways, are fighting the case after their respective employers forbade them from wearing the cross at work.

The Cardinal is expected to use his Easter Sunday homily at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh to call on worshippers to wear the cross, but "not in a way that might harm you at your work".

Britain's top Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, is to use his Easter address to tell worshippers to wear a cross every day.

The head of the Church in Scotland will say that worshippers should "wear proudly a symbol of the cross of Christ", but he will also advise not to do so "in any ostentatious way".